Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Blog Tour Review: Light of the Moon (Legend of the Dreamer #1)

Light of the Moon

Author: David James

Summary:

Stars. Fire. Blood. Magic.

One night long ago, a constellation disappeared and fell from the sky in the form of a boy.

Secrets are being kept in the sleepy town of Lakewood Hollow, Colorado. Nothing but pools of blood and dripping words are left where bodies once were, and no one but Calum Wade seems to be worried. Life unfolds in shades of red for Calum, until a mysterious girl named Kate Black enrolls at his school and everything changes. Suddenly a dangerous world of dream demons, elemental enchanters, and blood witches unfurls before Calum. He learns that the stars have forever held his destiny, and that the constellations above are much more than what they seem. As Kate and Calum sink deep into a paranormal war, they realize that an ancient prophecy might hold the answers they seek. But life is not so easy for Calum, and he can feel his heart beat faster whenever Kate is close. Worse, Kate's blood holds a dark secret even more dangerous than the war between the demons and enchanters. Soon the two find that there are worse things than loving someone you shouldn't. For Calum and Kate, even love and the fiery power of stars may not be enough to break a curse as dark as the blood that binds their destiny.

A romantic story of true love and dark curses, LIGHT OF THE MOON will leave you breathless.

Published November 6th 2012.

*

This story is as raw as it is powerful. Elements of violence and blood and death commingle with the painful unfurling of new love in this poetic, ripping tale of curses and devils and destiny.

David James has this elaborate way of writing with many heavy descriptions on the two protagonists' thoughts and self-reflections. Not opting for easy characterization, David James depicts Calum in a bleak setting, as someone who is definitely not your typical teenager. His life is a hell-hole where he constantly despairs about his own identity and fears about becoming a cruel man like his father.

His soul-searching couldn't have been at a worse timing.

Brutal murders have been occurring around the county and amidst all this tension, there is a new girl, Kate, who seems intent on killing Calum. The first part of the story is confusing, if not downright difficult to get past. But, the story picks up as Calum slowly starts to overcome the doubts about himself and it becomes him and Kate against the rest of the world. There are a lot of thematic discussions about blood in this novel-- both in terms of kinship and slaughter-- so much that your heart will be heavy as you flip every page.

It's ambitious, this novel, but at the same time, it takes too long to build up to a climax. But, along the way, the story manages to cover a lot of ground: lineage and identity, death and life, hatred and revenge and most preciously, true love.

Because, surprisingly, after all of its detours and digressions, at its core, this story is about love-- how it destroys, but also redeems.

We were flying.

Calum hugged me close. "So this is how love feels."

Love sets one free. And when Calum and Kate finally come to terms with their love for each other, it's an epic moment. The load on our hearts finally lifts, and everything doesn't seem as desolate as before.

In the end, David James did win me over. Not with his writing-- though poetic, it was a bit draggy after a while-- but with how the strength of love shone through all that pain and darkness and tears.

Reading this novel is truly an immersive experience, one that is every bit emotional as it is powerful.

Current State of the Union

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Love Always,

Sel

A Girl Like Me

Hi I'm Sel - connoisseur of love stories, romantic and lover of green tea, weird music and words that can make me cry.
I'm 16 and dreaming big.
Life can be stunning when you choose to live it that way :-)

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Disclaimer & Copyright

I am in no way monetarily compensated or bribed for any word on this site. All books reviewed were either bought with money (from my own pocket) or provided as a review copy from publishers. Consequentially, all criticisms or praises were written in accordance to the material's perceived merit. Each review has a source which states where I obtained it from.